Review:: It’s Only Change | Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why

Somewhere, in some secret underground laboratory filled with beakers and burners and junk, there is a scientist. Wearing a lab coat and a giant pair of headphones. Trying to combine as many musical styles into one band as he can. He starts throwing genres into test tubes, and they all start combining and bubbling and smoking and steaming and … *poof.*

The fog clears, and Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why pops out.

And that, my friends, is what we call a ridiculous exaggeration. Anyway, back on topic – on their fifth album, New Jersey’s Quincy Mumford returns with his array of musical stylings, ranging from jazz to funk to hip-hop to pure rock & roll.

For this record, Mumford et al. took to Nashville with a handful of renowned producers to help create the swirl of emotions and styles that is It’s Only Change, which Mumford says is unlike anything he had“ever done before,” giving him the chance“to mesh all [of my] influences into one complete piece of work.“

The record opens on “Change,” which carries in an intro that calls for The Hold Steady comparisons before shifting into something that’s a little more reggae. It only takes a couple more minutes before “Under the Covers” makes things reeeal funky.

Both “Time Won’t Wait” and “When You Get Back” slow the tempo a bit, while keeping all of the heart and soul of the album fully intact. Sticking with the cooled, calmed-down side of the album, “Eventually” is an absolute stand-out. Lyrically, Mumford croons as he aches for a simpler life, contemplating the indecisiveness that can stand in the way – “Do I sit? Do I stay? / Should I walk? Should I talk? / It’s very confusing for me. … Maybe I just want to enjoy this … Stop to appreciate the small things that make this world great / Because I know this life can all be fun and games / but if I play these cards correctly / I’ll be free / eventually.”

Anyway, closer “Baby Don’t Go” is a full-band romp with echoing, rumbling guitars and a carefree vibe. It ends the album with a feeling of longing and want, while feeling upbeat and positive. It’s a very cool, certainly tricky, approach at a song, let alone a closer. Well played.

Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why are poised to be in just about any spotlight they want. Their multiple sounds are broad and unique, but each different one still feels genuine and right. Whether it’s the album’s bouncing energy or smooth laid-back mellowness, Its Only Change is something new and for the better.